Page 13 of Love It or List It
“But that framing is sound?”Joe said skeptically.
“Hard to say without pulling up the floor, since there’s no basement under the addition to get a look at it.Houses settle.”Rita shrugged.“But you should be able to raise things up.”
“So do you know why the sink is backing up?”Joe asked.
“The neighbor said something about weeping beds?”Austin put in.
Joe groaned and Rita nodded.
“Sounds like the change in the elevation of the farmer’s field is causing more rainwater to be directed into the leaching bed of the septic tank, which means it can then back up into the house.”
“How do we fix that?”Austin wanted the full to-do list.
“You’ll probably have to call in someone to clean the septic system, make sure the eavestroughs are directed away from the septic bed, and maybe regrade the yard.Keeping the grass cut short should help too.”
“Let’s hope it’s the lawn-mowing option,” Joe said dryly.
She ran them through the rest of the checklist.
“There’s knob-and-tube wiring in the basement, and judging by the lack of outlets and ceiling-light fixtures, I doubt anyone has serviced or changed the electrical in the last several decades.I’d put money on knob-and-tube throughout the house.”
Fuck, Austin didn’t need Rita or Joe to tell him that would cost to replace.
“On the plus side, the house is so old that asbestos isn’t a concern.I did some scratch tests.But from what I can see, the insultation is all but nonexistent.Which is probably why it’s so cold in here.”
Leveling of the house, new wiring, insulation…
“So, more good news, the plumbing is copper, mazel tov.Your hot water tank, on the other hand, is leaking.”
… new hot water tank.
The list was growing longer, and the stable frame that had gotten Austin’s hopes up was starting to sound less impactful.
By the time Rita finished and shook their hands, Austin had a knot in his stomach and a tight band across his chest.
It was stupid.Selling the house was still an incredible financial move for him.He’d never dreamed of being able to put a hundred thousand dollars into savings before he reached his thirtieth birthday.
But he loved this house, with its original wood floors and sturdy, shady porch.They didn’t build houses like this anymore.And Austin had started to dream about what it might be like to restore it to its former glory.To give it the attention it deserved.
“Hey.”
Austin jumped half a foot when Joe touched his shoulder.When he looked up, Joe was frowning.“Are you okay?You’re kind of… zoning.”
Austin didn’t have an excuse.He’d had plenty of practice, as a service industry professional, at holding his tongue.So he didn’t know why his control escaped him now.Maybe he’d inhaled some mold spores.Maybe the fact that they’d been working their asses to the bone had left his defenses low.
Maybe it was the way Joe’s eyes looked warm and soft in the dim lighting of the kitchen addition.
“I don’t want to sell it like this,” Austin said firmly.“Let’s fix it.”
JOE GAPED.“Let’swhat?”
Truth told, part of him had been enjoying the quest to reveal the farmhouse’s actual features from under fifty years’ worth of accumulated junk.It was satisfying work, if slow, and even though most of what they found had to be thrown out, the process was still interesting.
Joe had grown up with his mom in a newer raised ranch.Then he and Paul had rented an apartment.Before they could close on their first house, they’d broken up, and Joe had put the money he’d saved for a down payment toward the austere barndominium where he now lived instead, so he had a place to live and a base of operations for his business.
In this house, he felt like he was getting a view into another world—into the family that had lived here once.There were newspaper clippings and photographs and sports trophies and academic awards, all set aside for Meg to bring to her dad’s; there were ancient light bulbs and a typewriter that might predate the house and a collection of dilapidated musical instruments, squashed into the office sort of room next to the bathroom.
But the house needed so much work.Sure, it wasn’t going to fall down around their ears—hooray.That was a pretty low bar.Excuse Joe if he wasn’t getting excited just yet.
